Dancing With The Stars Tristan MacManus and Peta Murgatroyd are currently dancing in Dance Temptation at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Canada. Below you can view some instagrams from Peta and Edyta Sliwinska (she helped to create the show alog with hubby Alec Mazo in case you don’t know). Below are some twitter pics from fan MelDiP as well who attended the show. Too fun and it’s so good to see Edyta again.

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud.

Edyta Sliwinska has written a new blog at Dancing Pros about the producers pairing celebrities with the pros on Dancing With The Stars. In her new blog, she examines “who puts these couples together, how does it happen and, is it fair?” Let’s just say matching dancers and celebrities based on age, look, height or personality isn’t always how producers pair the couples up. Creating the right demographic for buzz, controversy, drama, and purchasing power is more the case. Are you surprised? Below is a take….

So let’s abandon this nonsense notion that the producers try to match dancers and celebrities based on age, look, height or personality. I could give many more examples to prove my point: Cheryl Burke and Chad Ochocinco (huge height difference), Karina Smirnoff and Steve Wozniak (this time the producers went for the ‘Beauty and the Geek’ theme), Derek Hough and Jennifer Grey ( born over 25 years apart). And really, if once in a while a couple happens to be a perfect match, I would claim that it simply happened by chance. The real motivation of the matchmakers from hell at DWTS is to create controversy and buzz. And therefore Cheryl was paired up with Chad and Karina Smirnoff with Mario Lopez, because the prediction was that these attractive and single people, paired up together would certainly generate rumors about their romantic involvement. And they did. However, publicity-hungry producers, at the same time created some great partnerships. My personal opinion is that not many couples could match the amazing chemistry that Mario and Karina showcased on the dance floor in season 2. You might also guess that egotistical Max Chmerkovskiy is not coincidently paired up with some of the strongest women that had appeared on the show. Leila Ali, Misty May-Tranor, Hope Solo and Erin Andrews succeeded in professions dominated by men. Mel B, Debi Mazar and Kirstie Alley are known for their feisty personalities. Pair up a woman who knows how to stand up for herself with an arrogant Russian dancer and you will get a recipe for a drama.

Getting a right demographic of the audience has been a long time struggle for the producers of DWTS. Please don’t get offended if you are 49 or older, but the most desired viewers age, the one that advertisers are willing to pay big bucks for, is between 18 and 49. These are the ages of people believed to have the most purchasing power. Personally I think its nonsense. Most people over 50 that I know spend and have more money then people my age. But I’m not here to convince you about the defectiveness of TV executive’s thinking. It’s a simple fact: major TV networks do everything to attract younger audiences. Does it surprise you then that younger pros usually get better celebrities? When Cheryl Burke won DWTS twice in a row she was at the time the youngest dancer on the show. Later, even younger Julianne Hough, Mark Ballas and Derek Hough replaced her on the podium.

Luckily for the audience the producers can’t predict everything. Some couples who were favored to win were voted off someway along the way, like Mark Ballas and Sabrina Bryan. Others, who no one expected to do well, made it to the finals or even won like Alec Mazo and Kelly Monaco in season 1. This tiny bit of unpredictability might be the reason why you still watch the show with a trill.

I have to say I am not surprised by a lot of what she writes. I love this show and I will continue to watch and be a major fan, but, sometimes, I have to wonder about the heart behind the scenes? Also, I would suffice it to say that Maks is a guaranteed ‘shoe in’ to be on this show for as long as he wants (not that I mind that as long as he doesn’t cross the line like last season).

Heidi’s Note: Edyta complains that the producers are after a big audience and as much fireworks as possible??? Can I get a resounding DUH!!!! Please? Gee, that’s why TV shows exist. Anyone who thinks their only goal is to entertain or be “fair” is naive in the extreme.

A) NONE Of this is a surprise, but; B) Edyta doesn’t know jack about how they cast the show. She was one of the dancers, not one of the producers. She’s hypothesizing like everyone else, but she’s got an actual ax to grind (from the sound of it) since she’s never won the show. Her explanation for Derek, Mark and Julianne winning?? They get preferential pairings because they were younger. She clearly hasn’t seen a complete listing of Maks’ partners (or Derek’s, Mark’s or Julianne’s for that matter). Of course, she implies that Maks’ partnerships are designed to create fireworks – that doesn’t mean they aren’t good dancers or ringers. At the end of the day, Edyta’s opinion is no more valid or “true” than Maks’ is when he said that “Derek always gets great partners” or when DEREK does one of his usual PC song and dances. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle. I think she’s right about some things, bitter about others. Just like everyone else.

I would also argue that the female celebs are easier to match with male pros than vice versa – the female celebs are more likely to be shorter or similar in heights, and they are more likely to have previous dance or performing experience. The producers can tinker more with matching personalities, age groups, whatever. With male celebs you are more likely to have a huge variation in height and are therefore limited in pairings….as for age not playing a part?? I bet it does…but Edyta never even considers the fact that some celebrities have the clout to request a particular professional. People have requested Derek, Mark and Maks (and probably Edyta herself, along with Cheryl and Julianne, etc)….and they’ve gotten them. When you have a couple celebs in a season making requests and getting them, that really narrows down who the remaining ones can be paired with.

Of course she’s right about them wanting ratings and the various ways they will go about getting those ratings…they’re in business. But I think she over simplifies and makes the easy argument without considering all the angles. Just like many fans of the show.

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud.

As you know from a previous reporting, Edyta Sliwinska and hubby, Alec Mazo have started a new facebook page called “Dancing Pros” in promotion with their stage show “Dance Temptation”. Last week, Edyta wrote her first blog where she discusses how she got picked to do Dancing With The Stars. This week, Alec takes the wheel to write about the capability of married couples being able to work together. In doing so, he’s honest in saying “sometimes”. He takes us to the beginning when he met and started competing with Edyta to their decision to do Dancing With The Stars. Below is a take on the Dancing With The Stars part….

Edyta and I grew tired of competing and made a decision to go on DWTS because we wanted to be together, which would be difficult if we kept competing in Ballroom.

At first, the decision to go on DWTS was right on the money, figuratively speaking. Our motives were purely personal. There was no money incentive from DWTS – they paid very little the first couple of seasons and we could have made triple the pay at the studio. Since we joined DWTS from the first season, we had no idea how successful the show would become. However, working with other people (me with Kelly Monaco and Edyta with Evander Holyfield) made us realize how much we wanted to be together based on the time together/apart balance. Our personal relationship thrived. I should note that at this point, being on DWTS meant that we were often in the same building at CBS studios, but were really not working together outside of result show performances and occasional choreography advice to each other. Another plus was that when we went home, we could talk about the common goals and objectives. We understood each other very well and this communication helped our personal relationship. The key takeaway from this experience was that working together with your spouse is fruitful if you can balance your time together/apart, work within your circle of expertise, have common goals/objectives, and understand each other’s personalities while keeping the communication channel open.

Once again, fascinating! You can read Alec’s first blog in full at Dancing Pros. He plans to write more on the subject soon.

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud.

Edyta Sliwinska and her hubby, Alec Mazo have started a new facebook page called “Dancing Pros” in promotion with their stage show “Dance Temptation”. As previously reported, the two plan to hit the road again with it again next summer. Yesterday, Edyta wrote her first blog. In the blog she writes about how she got picked to do Dancing With The Stars. Below is a take about the process….

Everyone in the dance world knew about the British show ‘Strictly come dancing;’ it was hugely popular, so when I heard that it will be produced in America, I immediately submitted my resume, videos, pictures, magazines scraps, you name it. By the way if you are thinking of becoming a professional dancer, you should have all of the materials together and ready to go. You never know when the opportunity might knock to your door. In my case it happened in May 2005 and I was so ready for it. I considered all other options (I think I went a little too far thinking I could be a lawyer). Somewhere deep inside I knew I loved dancing. I was invited for an audition to Los Angeles. The producers already knew that I’m a good dancer, or at least good enough for what they were looking for, from all the videos, competition results and so on. Now they had to make sure I had the right personality to play the part. And here came a lengthy interview with hours of question. It was like a real interrogation with the only difference being that I wasn’t asked to tell the truth but to give a few different answers, the more outrageous then better. I had to deliver these snippets ‘in my own way’, but after a while I was so confused I forgot what ‘my own way’ was. They needed to typecast me somehow. My head was spinning; I had to be charming, sexy, competitive, arrogant… Uh, it was my first taste of what television was about. Later I understood that on TV, personality is just as important as skills. In fact I know a former world champion who didn’t get on the show because she was too shy and didn’t look interesting enough on camera. She is an amazing dancer, someone I’ve looked up to for years. Back to the audition, the next in the process was a short dance lesson to examine our teaching skills. That was easy considering my experience with kids in my SF dance studio. If you can teach a 5 year old you can teach anyone.

“Personality” has so much to do with a part on Dancing With The Stars, maybe even more than dancing ability itself?

More fascinating Dancing With The Stars things from Edyta here. They’ve posted some pictures from Dance Temptation as well at their facebook page which you can view one above. Beautiful!! I miss seeing Edyta dancing so much!! She will always be one of my favorite female dancers!

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud.

Missing Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo like I am? As some of you may remember from our past postings, the two produced a new show this past year called “Dance Temptation” which they premiered in Niagara Falls over the summer. Well, something is very much in the works again. Edyta tweeted that as soon as Alec is finished with school, they plan to hit the road again with it again next summer. Be sure to watch this space closely for more information on the show when they time gets closer. For now, enjoy the stunning new “Dance Temptation” Poster (seen above) and some scenes from the show below….

I so want to see this and I hope they take it to every major city in North America!!!

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud.

Do you miss seeing former Dancing With The Stars pros Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo dance like myself? Below is a video that might help fill that void a little. As we reported to you earlier, they produced a new ballroom dance production called “Dance Temptation” and recently premiered it in Niagara Falls. Yesterday, Alec released a new teaser video for it where you can see them dancing. They are stunning to say the least. See if you don’t agree?

And here is a picture that got tagged to Edyta’s Facebook; Read more..

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud.

We may not be able to see these two talented and beautiful dancers on Dancing With The Stars any longer, but, Edyta Sliwinksa and Alec Mazo are still very much out there dancing. If you live in or are in the Niagara Falls area from now until August 6th, don’t miss seeing them in a new dance, music, and theatrical production called “Dance Temptation” at the Fallsview Casino Resort. The lead couple Matt & Jessica (played by Alec and Edyta) search for love as “they meet temptation at every turn, traveling the world and experiencing different cultures through famous dance styles”. Sounds cool, huh? The former Dancing With The Stars professionals came up with all of their own choreography for the show. You can read more about the show and get ticket information at the “Dance Temptation” website. According to Edyta at twitter, the theatre was full for opening night and what’s more, they received a “standing ovation”! She said, “After all the hard work it feels amazing”. Let’s hope this show hit’s the road and can be seen everywhere.

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud.